Moses and the burning bush and Gideon and the fleece

Albrecht Bouts, Netherlandish Northern Renaissance Painter, ca.1460-1549

These images show the true colour reflectogram of this painting on the left and the near infrared reflectogram (1000-1200 nm) on the right. The images were acquired using the Artist multi-spectral imaging system.

This altarpiece originally consisted of two separate wings, one depicting Moses and the Burning Bush and one depicting Gideon and the Fleece. Both wings were made of rectangular wooden boards, which were covered with frames that arched at the top. The joining of both wings can clearly be seen in the infrared reflectogram which shows the joint running down the middle of the painting and the dark grey triangular area in the sky which used to be covered by the arched frames and was painted in with a different pigment.

The infrared reflectogram clearly shows the figure of a monk at the bottom of the painting, which was overpainted to provide more balance to the scene. Also note the difference in perspective in the left and right parts of the painting and that the burning bush and the city in the background are clearly truncated in order to blend both scenes together.
 
The painting is in possession of the Marion Kogler McNay Art Institute, San Antonio, USA

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